As we mark this occasion, the time has come to be open and honest about our founder Kate B. Reynolds’ history and our own, so we can make the necessary corrections to have a greater impact in the future.
Read more of Dr. Laura Gerald’s Op-Ed in The Charlotte Observer
When we launched our special initiative Healthy Places NC 10 years ago, it was more than a $100 million project to improve health in 10 rural counties. Healthy Places has helped shape the future of the Trust’s grantmaking and these communities will be crucial partners as we continue our work to improve health, promote equitable outcomes, and help residents thrive.
Inside Philanthropy sat down with Laura Gerald to talk about the announcement, the trust’s history, and what other funders might be able to learn from its experience.
During the 75th anniversary celebration, Trust President Dr. Laura Gerald offered a humble admission that it is time for the Trust to confront its history and work to repair the harm that was caused to generate their wealth. The steps taken by the Trust prove that it is well within the power of foundations and philanthropy to do better.
The final story in the series will tie together the theme of evolution introduced in the first five stories– and highlight the recent state-wide events and Wells Fargo announcement. It will focus on how the Trust has evolved to further Mrs. Reynolds’ original mission by working to change systems with racial equity at its core. It will tell the story of the Trust’s deepening commitment to racial equity and systems change throughout the first 75 years, and announce the divestment from tobacco.
In a packed room filled with community leaders, leadership of the Kate B. Reynolds Charitable Trust announced the organization will no longer invest in tobacco.
This announcement comes on the organization’s 75th anniversary. Dr. Laura Gerald, the trust’s president, says that continuing to invest in tobacco contradicts its mission of serving vulnerable communities.
The Kate B. Reynolds Charitable Trust will no longer invest in tobacco. The shift was announced on Tuesday during an event in Forsyth County to celebrate its 75th anniversary.
The Kate B. Reynolds Charitable Trust, one of the largest private funders in North Carolina, has announced that it will divest its endowment from tobacco and pursue a socially responsible community-focused investment strategy in support of grantmaking centered on racial equity, health, and well-being.